Watercolor Peony Card

Watercolor Peony Card—How to

It isn’t too late to create a beautiful watercolor peony card for Mother’s Day or for another occasion.

In previous posts, I have shown you how to create dimension and depth by using Copic Markers. (Links to the Copic Marker posts can be found at the bottom of the introduction.) Today, I am going to share with you how to create a similar effect in order to create this watercolor peony card. I find art reference extremely helpful. That’s why I was so happy to remember that I have photos of peony flowers that I can share with you.

*I included links to materials used for reader’s benefit. No compensation was involved.

How to make Watercolor Peony Card

Ink up image. Stamp on watercolor paper. Let it dry for a few minutes while you review the photographic reference.

Use this image as a starting point for the next step. You should try to notice the following: where the light is hitting the flowers, where are the petals the darkest, where are the petals the lightest, and that the lightest areas look almost white.

Select two color pencils for each area. One pencil should be for the darkest area and the other for medium areas.

Color in the elements starting with the darkest areas first and then to the medium. Remember to leave some areas blank for the highlights.

For the vase, you could choose one dark rich color. Apply it the heaviest where the shadows might be. The darkest areas could be just below the flowers, the side edges and the line just above the base. If you decide that the light is dead center on the vase, then that area should be the lightest. When you use the brush, the you can create the transition between the areas.

Color density is done with layers in watercolors. So, it is better to apply the colored pencil on the light side, and then add more after using the brush.

Use the brush to transform the color applied via the pencil into watercolor. If the color got too light, then apply more pencil. If the image seems to flat, then consider adding a third color to the area.

Experimenting is a good way to determine which way creates results that are most pleasing to you. The photo above shows slightly different ways of coloring the flowers and three ways to handle background.